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The Digital Employee That Never Takes a Coffee Break

Author

Tam Sood
June 05, 2025

Hey there,

This week, we're talking about AI agents — because apparently your next employee might be the only one who actually shows up on time.

While fashion brands debate whether AI can "truly understand style" (spoiler: it probably understands it better than your intern), tech companies just built digital workers that run entire supply chains. Without bathroom breaks or passive-aggressive Slack messages.

AI agents aren't chatbots having existential crises. They're autonomous programs that observe, decide, and execute workflows faster than you can say "supply chain disruption." Gartner says they'll be in 33% of enterprise software by 2027, up from 1% in 2024.

Here's what's inside:

 ✅ What AI agents actually are — digital employees that never ask for mental health days
✅ The 33% prediction — how fast they're replacing your spreadsheet warriors
✅ Fashion's automation goldmine — from inventory nightmares to influencer drama
✅ Tool spotlight: AI agents already making humans look inefficient


⏱️ Read time: 2 minutes (less than your average bathroom break)

Feature Story

The Digital Employee that never calls in Sick

TL;DR

AI agents are autonomous programs that complete workflows while you're writing meeting agendas. Gartner predicts they'll be in 33% of enterprise software by 2027. Fashion brands could capture $275 billion in value over 5 years

The What — Agents 101 for Fashion Pros

An AI agent is:

  • Autonomous (it takes initiative)

  • Goal-based (it works toward outcomes, not just responses)

  • Tool-using (it can access APIs, dashboards, Slack, your calendar)

In fashion, that opens up wild potential:

🧵 Example 1: The Sourcing Scout

Tell your AI agent to source 10+ denim suppliers under $4/yd, certified sustainable, that can ship by Sept 1.
It’ll query databases, compare vendor profiles, and return a spreadsheet — or maybe a Slack DM summary.

📈 Example 2: The Sales Planner

Give your agent historical sell-through data and let it recommend Q4 reorder volumes — and send reminders to your team before deadline.

🎨 Example 3: The Virtual Stylist

Let it scan your inventory and create capsule collections based on current weather and TikTok trend graphs. Yes, seriously.

The Numbers That Matter

  • Growth: AI agents jump from 1% to 33% of enterprise software by 2027 (that's not gradual — that's invasion)

  • Opportunity: McKinsey says AI could add $275 billion to fashion profits over 5 years

  • Productivity: Companies using AI agents see 30% efficiency boosts

Who Wins?

Brands with repetitive processes, multi-channel retailers needing consistency, and resource-constrained companies wanting enterprise capabilities without enterprise budgets.

🧵 Key Takeaway

AI agents aren't coming to fashion — they're already here, probably working for your competitors. The question isn't whether to adopt them, but how quickly you can implement before someone else automates your entire business model.

Swipe File (Real tactics used by Fashion brands)

Steal-This Play: Design Faster with Prompt-Driven Sketching

Brand & Move:
Portuguese AI startup Fashable is helping fashion brands generate production-ready designs in minutes using text prompts and machine learning.

What They Did:
Fashable built a platform that lets fashion teams create hundreds of original clothing concepts with just a few keywords — “structured neutrals for summer,” for example.
One brand using the tool was able to cut early-stage concepting time by 80%, generating more options with fewer human hours.

Steal This Play:
Use Fashable to turn creative prompts into realistic sketches before looping in your design team. It helps validate early ideas faster and keeps your brand’s aesthetic consistent — even across remote teams.

🧠 Bonus:
Fashable runs on Microsoft Azure and integrates into tools like Microsoft Teams, so your entire team — from design to marketing — can weigh in on collections, instantly.

The Runway Reel

This week, i talk about Google’s AI try on feature

Tool Time

AI Tool of the Week: Manny AI


What it is:
Manny.AI is a generative agent built specifically for fashion production teams — like having a supercharged ops assistant that understands your supply chain.

Why it matters:
Most AI tools help with creative — Manny is built for execution. It connects your product ideas to real-world factories, inventory planning, and production workflows — automatically.

🧠 Use it to:

  • Match designs to qualified manufacturers

  • Generate accurate cost + lead time estimates

  • Track production timelines without manual follow-up

  • Run sustainable sourcing audits with live data

Why it stands out:
Manny isn’t just reactive. It’s proactive — it tells you when things will slip, suggests better partners, and makes sourcing smarter.

Bonus: It’s a 2025 Trailblazer Award finalist for sustainability + supply chain innovation.

A Final Note

Fun Fact

In 2016, designer Jen Mussari ran a pop-up brand entirely through Instagram DMs and email.
No site. No store. No team.

It worked. But it nearly broke her.

With agents? That same business could run itself — from product drops to customer support — while she sips espresso and paints moodboards.

Let me know what you thought of this edition.Until next time,